The wind still carried particles of ice across the battlefield as the heroes of the Kingdom and the newly arrived heroes of the Empire gathered after the retreat of the Frostblight.
Snow slowly began to cover the frozen corpses of the fallen legionnaires.
Some were still trapped in combat positions.
Others had died trying to flee.
And a few remained motionless beside comrades they had never managed to abandon.
The silence left behind after the creature's retreat felt heavy, almost unbearable, and only the cracking of ice melting beneath Alejandro's lingering flames managed to break that uncomfortable stillness.
Alejandro took a deep breath while trying to ignore the burning sensation spreading through his muscles. His eyes quickly passed over the rest of the group, making sure everyone was still standing.
Lusian remained motionless a few meters behind them, observing the battlefield with that unsettling calm that never left his face. Kara, on the other hand, was still tense, unable to relax after feeling such an absurd monstrous pressure. Near the wounded, Emily worked on her knees over the snow…
And Leonardo could not pull his gaze away from the human sculptures still standing among the snow. Some still carried expressions of terror so vivid that it seemed impossible to accept they were ice and not people trapped in the exact instant of their death.
On the other side, the two newly arrived imperial heroes were also analyzing the Kingdom's group.
The man —Erik— kept one hand over the hilt of his runic sword. Traces of frost still crawled along the blade while small bluish sparks crackled around the weapon.
The woman —Selene— held her fractal bow partially drawn, prepared to react to the slightest strange movement.
Even though the Frostblight had disappeared into the storm, no one there truly felt like they had survived. The creature had simply left… and that was different.
Kara was the first to break the silence.
—How many survived from the legions?
An imperial officer, covered by partially frozen armor, slowly lowered his head.
His eyes were red.
Exhaustion.
Frustration.
Pain.
—…Less than half —he answered with difficulty—. The two legions sent to this region… were devastated.
He clenched his teeth before continuing.
—Most died frozen before they even understood what was happening. And the few who resisted… can no longer continue fighting.
Emily looked away.
Even she, accustomed to treating the wounded, felt a knot form in her stomach upon hearing that.
This had not been a battle.
It had been a massacre.
The icy wind blew once more through the frozen ruins of the forest.
Lusian observed the scene in silence.
But behind that calm expression, his mind worked relentlessly.
He knew the Frostblight.
Far more than anyone there could possibly imagine.
He had faced it countless times before.
Though not in this world.
Not in this life.
Every movement of the creature felt familiar to him.
The way it observed before attacking.
How it used the storm to isolate prey.
How it slowly drained energy before going for the final strike.
It was patient, intelligent, methodical; a predator that never wasted energy pursuing impossible prey.
It did not hunt out of rage or uncontrolled instinct.
It hunted like a natural calamity that perfectly understood when to strike… and when to retreat.
And that was precisely what made it dangerous.
The Frostblight never fought without absolute advantage.
Emily approached Alejandro, still trembling.
—I can't believe you… that you actually managed to stop it —she said while looking at the melted ice and the ruined battlefield—. It was… incredible.
Alejandro did not answer immediately. He remained standing, but his breathing had become uneven, as if drawing air now required effort.
The light still lingering around him began to flicker unstably, like a flame on the verge of dying out. His arms trembled. Beneath his skin, small reddish cracks began to appear, as if his own body could no longer endure what he had just invoked.
The heroes understood.
That power did not truly belong to them.
It was borrowed.
An emergency resource.
A miracle granted only for brief moments.
But every miracle carried a price.
Alejandro could still feel it even now.
The power continued burning inside him.
It pressed from within his body like something foreign, too vast, too ancient to exist inside something human.
Because it was not his.
It never had been.
The heroes did not create that power.
They could not.
All they did was open their body, their soul, and their will enough to allow a fraction of divine power to descend into the mortal world.
And even so… even that fraction was monstrous.
The problem was that the human body had never been designed to withstand something like that.
Every vein burned.
Every muscle tightened as if it were about to tear apart.
Even breathing felt like dragging blades through his chest.
And the more power descended…
the closer they came to breaking.
To being consumed.
Or worse yet… killed.
Alejandro slowly shook his head while trying to recover his breath.
Exhaustion still made his muscles tremble, and small embers escaped from the Sword of Solaris before dying in the snow.
—I didn't defeat it… —he admitted with difficulty—. That creature… is absurdly resilient.
Kara let out a dry laugh, still tense from the monstrous pressure she had felt.
—Defeat it? —she raised an eyebrow—. We're nowhere near that level yet. Don't be delusional.
The atmosphere fell silent once more.
Only the icy wind slowly crossed the battlefield while several soldiers removed frozen corpses.
Then Kara turned toward Lusian.
He had just arrived accompanied by the troops that had remained behind under his direct order: protect Elizabeth and keep the caravan safe.
Even now, after seeing the Frostblight with his own eyes, Lusian appeared strangely calm.
He stopped a few meters away from the group and crossed his arms without saying anything.
But behind that indifferent expression, his mind continued calculating possibilities.
If the Frostblight returned, they would need to lure it away from the caravan at any cost.
And later…
hunt it.
It would be difficult.
Extremely dangerous.
Even for him.
But this was not the time yet.
His priority remained the same:
Elizabeth.
Ensuring she reached the imperial capital safely.
Everything else could wait.
One of the imperial commanders slowly advanced through the destroyed snow.
His armor was damaged, and part of his beard still remained covered in frost.
—The Empire is already evaluating the losses —he said gravely—. Without immediate reinforcements, this entire region will be left completely defenseless.
Lusian barely turned his head toward him.
He did not seem worried.
Nor surprised.
—It is not our responsibility to save the Empire —he replied calmly—. Our task is to ensure the princess arrives alive.
His eyes swept across the field covered in frozen corpses.
—Everything else… can wait.
The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
The imperial heroes exchanged distrustful glances.
To them, those words sounded cold.
Cruel, even.
One of them finally stepped forward.
Erik.
The icy air surrounding his sword intensified slightly again as he stared at Lusian with visible tension.
—And who the hell are you? —he asked harshly—. If you're so calm… then fight with us.
Several gazes turned toward Lusian.
The Kingdom's soldiers remained tense.
The imperials watched with suspicion.
Even Alejandro and Leonardo stayed silent.
Lusian held the imperial hero's gaze for several seconds.
Without hurry.
Without annoyance.
Then he spoke.
And his voice fell over the frozen battlefield with a heavy, crushing firmness.
—I am Lusian Douglas… of Mondring.
The effect was immediate.
The name struck the atmosphere like another wave of cold.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
Denser.
Many imperial soldiers widened their eyes in disbelief.
Others unconsciously stepped back.
Among the veterans, tense murmurs began to spread.
Because they knew that surname.
Kara stepped forward after noticing the tension Lusian's name had caused among the imperials.
She lowered her voice slightly, trying to contain the fear beginning to spread among the soldiers.
—He… protects the princess. Nothing else matters.
Elizabeth nodded firmly.
She did not try to soften the words.
Nor deny who Lusian was.
Because there was no need.
The heroes of the Empire were still processing the weight of that name… and the man standing before them.
Lusian was not a hero.
Not in the traditional sense.
He was not a shining figure blessed to inspire hope.
In the distance, the storm left behind by the Frostblight still covered part of the horizon.
The creature had disappeared… but the cold it left behind seemed to have embedded itself into the world itself.
Snow slowly covered the terrain like a white and treacherous mantle.
And within that frozen silence remained the bodies of soldiers and civilians.
A brutal reminder of what had happened only minutes earlier.
The camp quickly began organizing itself.
The survivors already understood that remaining exposed in that forest meant freezing to death before dawn.
Tents reinforced with thermal runes were raised among the frost-covered pines.
Blue flames illuminated the night, partially pushing back the unnatural cold that still saturated the environment.
The wounded were carried from one side to another while priests and healers worked without rest.
Emily coordinated treatments alongside several followers of Kara and Elizabeth, using healing magic to the very limits of their mana reserves.
Even so… many could not be saved.
The Frostblight did not only freeze bodies.
It drained life.
And there were wounds that even magic could not fully repair.
That was when the Empire's two new heroes began standing out amidst the chaos.
Sir Cael Veyron advanced through the ranks with an almost supernatural calm.
His Omega affinity for ice manifested itself in a way both elegant and terrifying.
With simple movements of his hand, enormous barriers of crystal and compressed snow rose around the camp, protecting the wounded from the freezing gusts still crossing the forest.
His presence imposed order.
He did not need to raise his voice.
He did not need to demonstrate authority.
The absolute precision with which he wielded his power spoke for him.
His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, evaluating every vulnerable point like someone accustomed to surviving amid disaster.
There was no arrogance in him.
Only concentration.
The dangerous serenity of someone chosen by divinity to turn the battlefield into something controllable.
Working near him was Miriel.
A young commoner chosen by the gods whose affinity for earth and nature completely contrasted with the region's devastating cold.
While soldiers raised improvised tents, she placed one hand against the frozen ground.
Mana coursed through the earth.
Then thick roots slowly began emerging beneath the snow, rising like natural walls around the wounded and the most vulnerable refugees.
Stone and soil compacted into defensive barricades.
The hardened vegetation blocked the icy wind.
And little by little, the camp began to feel less fragile.
There was no need for grand speeches.
Their movements spoke for them.
Precise.
Fast.
Efficient.
They were heroes accustomed to facing chaos.
Alejandro silently observed both of them while finishing the inspection of the defensive positions.
Leonardo also watched them carefully.
For the first time since arriving in the Empire, they understood something important.
There was no true rivalry there.
They all shared the same burden.
All of them were Omega heroes.
All of them had been blessed by the gods.
And all of them carried the absurd responsibility of facing monsters capable of destroying entire armies.
Alejandro finally broke the silence.
—With the wounded secured, we'll be able to reorganize the march at dawn.
Cael gave a slight nod.
—The residual storm will continue worsening for several hours —he answered calmly—. But my barriers should hold until then.
Miriel slowly adjusted the shield strapped to her arm while green runes traveled beneath her feet, reinforcing the natural defenses.
—The priority now is keeping the camp stable —she added—. If panic spreads, we'll lose more people before dawn than during the attack.
No one argued with her words.
Night had already begun to fall, and continuing through the storm would have been suicide. With dozens wounded, exhausted soldiers, and fear still spreading through the ranks, the caravan finally stopped among the snow-covered forests.
Orders quickly spread through the surviving legions.
Raise defenses.
Light fires.
Treat the wounded.
Little by little, an improvised camp began to form amidst the absolute cold left behind by the Frostblight.
The camp remained surrounded by an ocean of silent snow.
The wind constantly struck the reinforced fabric of the tents, and every so often groans of pain could be heard from wounded soldiers still struggling to survive the lingering cold left behind by the Frostblight.
Inside the main tent, the atmosphere was tense.
A large map of the territory lay spread across an improvised wooden table. Several stones marked cities, supply routes, and the zones where the imperial legions had been lost.
Torchlight projected dancing shadows over the tired faces present there.
Emily led the meeting.
Though she tried to remain calm, exhaustion was beginning to show in her eyes.
Kara leaned against one of the tent poles with crossed arms, listening silently.
Alejandro observed the map while trying to ignore the constant pain still running through his body after using Solaris's power.
And Leonardo remained apart, analyzing every detail of the terrain and military positions marked on the table.
Across from them, Cael and Miriel stepped forward.
Determination was evident in both of them.
—If we're going to face the Frostblight, we'll need every possible resource —Cael said firmly—. The army must advance with us.
Miriel immediately nodded.
—If we leave that creature free, it will continue destroying everything in its path.
Emily closed her eyes for a moment before answering.
She could understand them.
She too had seen entire villages disappear.
She had heard the screams.
She had felt the fear of the refugees.
But even so…
—No —she finally interrupted, restraining the frustration boiling beneath her voice—. This army does not belong to us.
Her fingers rested against the edge of the table.
—It is under Princess Elizabeth's command.
Silence fell inside the tent.
Outside, soldiers could be heard moving supplies while priests treated the wounded and snow continued accumulating slowly over the camp.
Cael frowned.
—We cannot remain motionless —he insisted—. The Frostblight will continue advancing. Every hour that passes will mean more deaths.
Miriel stepped beside him.
Her eyes, faintly illuminated by green runes, remained firm.
—If it reaches another city before we react… it will be a massacre.
Emily slowly exhaled.
Fear and helplessness weighed heavily inside her chest.
Because she knew they were right.
But she also knew something else.
Lusian would never abandon Elizabeth.
And forcing him would completely shatter the balance of the group.
—I understand what you're saying —she finally answered firmly—. But Lusian will not separate from the princess.
She lifted her gaze toward them.
—Our mission remains escorting Elizabeth safely to the imperial capital. Nothing and no one will change that.
The heroes exchanged tense glances.
All of them understood the weight of that decision.
Protecting Elizabeth meant allowing the Frostblight to remain free for longer.
But abandoning the princess could trigger consequences even worse for both the Kingdom and the Empire.
The tension slowly increased inside the tent.
Until Alejandro finally spoke.
—Then let's do it quickly.
Everyone turned toward him.
The hero of Solaris kept his gaze fixed on the map.
—We will go after the Frostblight —he said calmly—. We can't wait any longer.
Cael immediately nodded.
Miriel did the same.
Neither hesitated.
Because although the fear was still there… they also understood that someone had to face that monstrosity.
Leonardo finally spoke from the back of the tent.
His voice was firm.
Controlled.
But heavy.
—We cannot stay here forever. Every minute that passes, that monster advances farther south.
His eyes turned toward Lusian, who remained silent near the entrance.
—The villages will pay the price.
Lusian did not react.
He did not even blink.
Leonardo continued:
—We must reach the capital. Regroup forces. Reorganize the imperial army. And from there… prepare a real hunt.
Silence returned.
Emily slowly left the tent.
Snow softly struck her face the moment she stepped outside.
The camp remained in constant motion.
Exhausted soldiers walked between the fires.
The healers continued working.
And fear still floated in the atmosphere like an invisible shadow.
Eventually she found Lusian.
He stood near the outer perimeter of the camp, observing the distant storm.
Elizabeth remained at his side, wrapped in a white cloak while speaking quietly with obvious concern.
Emily slowly approached.
—Lusian.
He barely turned his head.
Emily held his gaze.
—The heroes want to pursue the Frostblight. The entire region is in danger if we leave it free.
For a moment, Lusian remained silent.
Then he let out a low sigh.
And although his expression remained calm… Emily managed to perceive the weight he carried.
The tension.
The duty.
And something deeper.
Something dangerously close to affection.
Lusian turned his gaze back toward Elizabeth before answering.
—Then we will depart for the capital.
His voice was firm.
Decisive.
Leaving no room for discussion.
—Elizabeth will not separate from me.
Finally he turned his eyes toward Emily.
—And I will not separate from her.
Emily slightly frowned.
Part of her wanted to argue.
To insist.
To ask him to help the others.
But another part… perfectly understood why he had made that decision.
Because she knew Lusian.
And she knew that once he decided to protect something… there was no force capable of tearing him away from it.
—Very well… —she finally whispered.
There was resignation in her voice.
But also a soft affection she could not completely hide.
Lusian observed her for another moment.
Then he barely raised his hand and gently touched her arm.
A small gesture.
Almost imperceptible.
But enough to make Emily feel a strange warmth amidst that unbearable cold.
—Just take care of yourself —he said quietly—. Don't push yourself too far.
And although the words were simple…
Emily perfectly understood everything he truly meant to tell her.